The shot curved over Manuela Zinsberger’s head, mimicking the Wembley arch above. Beyond that, grey sky. It might have been an FA Cup final, but it was not the kind of day you imagine for it. We were not basking in the warm glow of early summer; it was nearly Christmas 2021—a result of the backlog of games caused by the pandemic.
It almost feels wrong to describe it as a shot. That word conjures an image of a fast-paced, hard strike that flies in. This moment from Sam Kerr was cheeky and delicate and took place almost in slow-motion as the ball came to a rest in the back of the net, the goalkeeper only able to turn to look over her shoulder to see where it had landed.
It is just over three years since Chelsea won that FA Cup final against Arsenal, Kerr’s chip being the third and final goal that day. Much has changed since then. Neither manager who stood on the Wembley touchline is still in charge of their club. Emma Hayes departed Chelsea after 12years at the end of last season, while Jonas Eidevall resigned from his role at Arsenal in October. Fran Kirby, who scored Chelsea’s opener, moved on to Brighton in the summer, and it has been 51 weeks since Sam Kerr last scored a goal or made an appearance for the club.
Kerr tore her anterior cruciate ligament in January of this year during a warm-weather training camp with Chelsea. She has had serious knee injuries in the past, but her time in London had been relatively injury-free. I remember exactly where I was when I heard what had happened. It was a Sunday, and it was beginning to get dark. I had been procrastinating going for a run all day, and with nine miles needing to be ticked off, I was rushing to get out the door before it got dark. As I was getting ready, my phone began buzzing incessantly. It was various group chats and friends messaging me in shock. I decided to just get my head down and get out the door for the run.
